German Deputy Prime Minister "Considering Export Controls on China"

Robert Habeck, German Vice Chancellor and Minister for Climate Protection [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Robert Habeck, Germany's Vice Chancellor and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, stated on the 21st (local time) regarding export controls on China, "Export controls should not be applied across all sectors, but they must be strengthened in certain critical specific sectors."

In an interview with the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) published that day, when asked if Germany plans to ban exports of certain advanced technology products to China like the United States, he replied, "Yes," and made the above statement.

Vice Chancellor Habeck emphasized, "We need to reduce dependence on China," adding, "This means strengthening resilience, diversifying, and placing economic security at the center, and it must rise to the very top of the political agenda."

When asked whether Germany would assist companies such as Volkswagen (VW) and BASF, which focus on the Chinese market, if their businesses were damaged by a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, he responded, "First of all, I hope such an invasion does not occur," but also said, "We have already witnessed what war causes."

Regarding Germany's decision for security reasons not to use certain components from China's Huawei and ZTE in its 5G network, when asked if Huawei components would be completely removed from Germany's 5G network within five years, he said, "It seems unlikely that already installed components can be removed," explaining, "Because the 5G network must continue to operate."

Nevertheless, he stated, "However, going forward, we must refrain from using those components."